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Auxiliary Fire Service

HannahLuke43 said:
Hi Shirley,
I dont remember him ever mentioning that name, but I was only 2 when the War ended and Dad carried on with his normal full time occupation in the Co-op Grocery Dept. He became a Grocery Branch Manager, and I can clearly remember two of them, one was at Slade Road, Erdington and the other at Warwick Road, Tyseley opposite where Cousins Furniture Store is now. I can remember before I went to school and in the school holidays when I did, going to Warwick Road shop and being let into the cash desk where the cashier had brass screw-up cups that were on a wire that went to each of the counters. People had their "divi" ticket and their £1 or 10shilling notes put into the brass cup at the counter, this was sent to the cask desk by the staff at the serving counter by pulling a cord which sent the brass cup to the desk (behind glass partition) and the change +"divi" was sent back the same way. I was allowed to pull the cord that sent it zinging back to the counter. Can you imagine people standing there today while all that went on? This was before the days of self service.

Hope you find someone who does remember your Grandad. Cheers, Judy
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Good afternoon Judy, I believe your dad Harry Bamford played in a small band with my dad, Jack Nicholson (Clarinet), my uncle, Frank Nicholson (Violin) & Horace Holmes (Piano). Do you happen to have any info about the band? I would love to hear.
Regards, Chris Nicholson.
 
Hi - looking for my husbands grandad - Samuel George Millard - according to 1939 census he was an acting divisional officer in the AFS. He died in 1962 aged 52 and no one left to ask about him. As a family we weren't even aware he had been in the AFS - makes sense as he never fought in WW1 due to a heart problem. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
 
Brookfields Lad said:
Re: World War 2 Fire Service -

I have the first edition of "The Birmingham Auxiliary Fire Service" magazine dated March 1938.

It doesn't give much information, I suppose being number 1 the AFS didn't have much to report.

It is mainly adverts of businesses around Brum and requests for volunteers.

The service was divided up into divisions, they are:

Div 1. Central, Aston. Officer, S.H.Johnson

Div 2. Cotteridge, Northfield, Bartley Green, Selly Oak, Bournbrook, C.V.Miller

Div 3 Handsworth, Harborne, Edgbasto, Quinton. Norman Tiptaft

Div 4. Erdington, Perry Barr, Aston Manor. A. Chatterley

Div 5. Balsall Heath, Bordesley, Kings Heath, Sparkhill, Greet. D.Base

Div 6. Acocks Green, Hay Mills, Yardley, Stechford, Ward End. F. Christophers


I also have a A.F.S badge somewhere, I'll dig it out andpost a picture of it.

Hope this helps

Bob
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Hello all, my dad was in the AFS during the second world war, being too old for anything else. We lived in Lozells so I have no idea which division he would have been in....maybe division 3 ......?? Thank you for the picture of the AFS badge, its good to see. I was born in 1944.....so have no recollections of this, but good to hear about the AFS . My dads name was Len Whittington. thanks again for the memories.
 
Laura Barker said:
Hi - looking for my husbands grandad - Samuel George Millard - according to 1939 census he was an acting divisional officer in the AFS. He died in 1962 aged 52 and no one left to ask about him. As a family we weren't even aware he had been in the AFS - makes sense as he never fought in WW1 due to a heart problem. Any information would be greatly appreciated.
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Do you know where Samuel is from originally? I can find a Samuel, one of six children, with a father called George, born in Upper Gornal.
 
My father was in the AFS too, his name was Len Whittington. We lived in Wilton Street, Lozells so I am not sure where he was based. He didn't talk very much about his service in the AFS. Strangely my father in law became Fire Chief of the Coventry Brigade in the 1050's.

Eileen
 
HI, my mum was in the AFS during WW11, we have some buttons from her uniform. She died in 1977, so we have no family recollection of where she was based (she lived in Moseley at the time) - is there a way to find any useful information please? Thanks.
 
simon3030 said:
HI, my mum was in the AFS during WW11, we have some buttons from her uniform. She died in 1977, so we have no family recollection of where she was based (she lived in Moseley at the time) - is there a way to find any useful information please? Thanks.
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The 1939 register is how I found out that my Mom and my Auntie, her sister, were ARP wardens. The 1939 gives a person's occupation, but in my case there was a little note in the margin that they were Fire Wardens at Lucas's factory in Foremans Road.
 
I have an update, my sister found some pics from our mother's time in the NFS. I have attached them here - the wide group shot has a pencilled note on the back in my mothers hand - "Lidbury . squiggle" - which could be a persons name, as I can find no online reference to Lidbury as a place name. Also written on the back is 24 (which I know is the number for Birmingham Fire Force in the NFS) and then "B Div HQ".
The other pic has its own caption - National Fire Service, B Div , H Q Staff April 1945 - presumably all staff were given one of these. They all look very pleased with themselves, with silver cupas and everything. I have indicated my mum on the pics - she was then Maisie Hayward.
Not sure how long she was in the NFS. She married in 1948, and was working in the catering industry then, for Pattison Hughes, an old established Birmingham outside & industrial catering company. She is the reason I went into catering..
 

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  • NFS B Division April 1945 HQ Staff Maisie Hayward.jpg
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It would appear that the women were part of the control room staff. Maybe there is a road connection of a fire station or HQ there.
 
Thanks - I've found another thread that shows that prior to the AFS > NFS reorganisation that there was an HQ at Trafalgar Road in Mosely, for 5 division, but there is no note about the HQs once the reorganisation happened and the divisions had letters, not numbers, but I guess that it would have been somewhere in the area, as she lived in Moseley.
 
“In their spare time the men of the A.F.S. Headquarters, Division 6, stationed in Ralph-road, Saltley, Birmingham, are digging up
the rest of the grassland adjoining their station. They have planted with vegetables the other half the plot.”
Birmingham Gazette, April 1940.


IMG_5687.jpeg
 
“Members of Birmingham's A.F.S, busy cleaning their equipment before the opening of a new station to-day. The concreting of a runway and the removal of a high wall was done by the A.F.S men themselves.”
Birmingham Gazette August 1940.



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